The Marvels (2023) [Spoiler-Free] – Long Review

With a runtime that clocks in at an hour and forty-five minutes, The Marvels is the shortest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to-date. But when the film also touts three separate heroes as the main protagonists, how could they possibly flesh out a good story that quickly when most MCU movies take well over two hours to do the same for just one hero? 

It’s quite simple, really. Thanks to Disney+, a lot of the character and story setup was already paved over the last few years within Marvel’s various streaming shows. With that stuff out of the way, The Marvels had the freedom to hit the ground running almost instantly.

After a brief opening sequence setting up the villain Dar-Benn, we immediately see our three Marvels: Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), and Monica Rambeau (not yet given her comic book codename of Photon) going about their business separately until suddenly, they are thrust into each other’s lives due to their superpowers all becoming entangled. If any of them use their powers at the same time, they swap places – even light-years away.

The chaotic and wildly entertaining action that takes place while they try to figure this out initially is some of the most satisfying quirky fun I’ve seen in an MCU movie in quite some time. The first thirty minutes of the movie barely give the viewer a moment to stop and think. The fighting and the pandemonium are non-stop, and every moment is utilized perfectly. I never once felt like it went on too long or that the story needed to progress any faster than it was.

Once the movie settles into its rhythm for the remainder, we get a little more exposition on what Da-Benn is up to: seeking revenge while also trying to fulfill what she considers to be a noble purpose. Marvel has done well to make their villains nuanced like this so they don’t feel evil for the sake of being evil. Dar-Benn is no exception. But where she falls short, much like many (not all, but many) of the MCU’s big bads is they don’t steal the scene and remain with you the way you want them to. It’s been thirty-four years and I still consider Jack Nicholson’s take on the Joker to be the villainous performance that keeps on giving. It’s unfair to compare all movie villains to the ’89 Joker, but it’s a good benchmark to strive for; your villain isn’t going to be the hero, so they have to be memorable. Zawe Ashton played her part as Dar-Benn brilliantly, I just don’t think they gave her character the oomph it could have had. 

On the other hand, we have Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel. I am just going to come right out and say it: Vellani stole the show. This may have been a sequel to Captain Marvel, this may have been a team-up movie, but the spotlight was hers for the taking. And she took it. I enjoyed the Ms. Marvel show on Disney+ – I thought it was a well-written, street-level story with a lot of heart and humor.

Her performance as the fangirl-turned-hero gives the viewer an interesting new perspective from this universe: what its like to grow up idolizing The Avengers as real people in your world. And that is why I am saying that we are all Kamala Khan. If you grew up reading comic books, writing fan fiction, doodling images of your daydreams, or putting up posters of your favorite superheroes on your bedroom wall, then you are Kamala Khan. Going back to Batman ’89, I still remember seeing it for the first time and having a level of excitement that resulted in a lump in my throat every time I saw Batman use a grappling gun to fly away into the night. It was the same feeling I had when I sat in the theater in 2008 and heard Robert Downey Jr. utter “I am Iron Man.” And it was the same feeling I got when Chris Evans lifted Mjolnir and went toe-to-toe with Thanos. Kamala squealing in joy at meeting Carol Danvers and Nick Fury? I don’t blame her. I’d do the same thing. This perspective of hers was shown in her tv series, but we get to see it full-force in this movie, and it was just delightful.

Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris both brought solid performances as well to the movie. We finally get to learn more about the war between the Kree and the Skrulls and how Carol Danvers plays into it. Diving into both her and Monica’s backstories gave the movie some serious emotional heft, despite being an otherwise lighthearted weird romp of a film.

The Marvels fell short in the visual effects department. For the most part, it looked gorgeous, but I spotted a handful of glaringly bad VFX shots, some of which did not seem terribly complicated to pull off, when compared to Marvel’s overall track record. This is possibly due to effects teams being spread too thin. We know there has been a TON of MCU content coming out the last few years, especially since they made the jump to Disney+ shows. There’s been a lot of concerns about stressful deadlines and the resulting drop-off in quality in recent MCU movies and shows. Goose the flerken looked great in 2019 compared to some of her scenes now in 2023. It was barely an issue to ruin the film, but I still have my concerns about quality control if Marvel keeps cranking out too much at once. I for one am an unapologetic Marvel fanboy, yet I will happily accept if they slow down the amount of content if it means allowing for even tighter scripts, better plots, and cleaner visual effects.

I refuse to provide any hints in this review about what it entails, but you do not want to miss the mid-credits scene. Before the credits roll and especially after, we get some really good world-building scenes. I yelled out almost as much as Kamala when I saw what was happening on screen.

I personally dislike this term, but if you’ve been feeling superhero fatigue at the movies. The Marvels hits the reset button on all of that. You’re in for a shorter movie that makes the most of every minute. Its funny, its deeply emotional, its action-packed, and its absolutely bonkers in all the best ways.